Continuing Care performance report

Measure: Percent of seniors on the Elderly Waiver and Alternative Care program with high needs.

The percent of seniors with high needs on the Elderly Waiver (EW) and Alternative Care (AC) program is increasing every year.

To help track progress, counties similar in population size are grouped together and called a "cohort." Cohort 4 includes Minnesota's moderately large counties and has the highest percent of seniors with high needs on EW and AC programs.

Why this measure is important?

This measure shows that seniors with high needs are staying in their homes. In the past, people with greater needs were not able to stay in their communities because the services they needed were only available in institutions.

This shows that the long-term care system has been able to develop and offer more intense and specialized services in the community. Home and community-based services are less expensive than institutional care.

What is included in the measure?

The number of people who receive services on EW and AC.

What does it mean?

A higher percent means there are more seniors with high needs who get the services they need in their homes or other community settings. When the percent is low, more people with high needs are being served in institutions.

How is it calculated?

The number of people served by EW and AC with higher needs divided by the total number of people served by EW and AC

Connect with us

Terminology disclaimer
The terminology used to describe people with disabilities has changed over time. The Minnesota Department of Human Services (“Department”) supports the use of “People First” language. Although outmoded and offensive terms might be found within documents on the Department’s website, the Department does not endorse these terms.